Loving Pedro Infante

by Denise Chávez

Book Overview

In the soothing darkness of her local theater, thirty-something teacher's aide and divorc e Teresina "Tere" vila looks straight into the smoldering eyes of Pedro Infante and wonders where her life has gone. The impossibly handsome Mexican singer and movie icon died in 1957, but to Tere -- secretary of the Pedro Infante fan club chapter 256 -- he remains an everlasting symbol of the possibility of passion beyond her New Mexico town.
Tere's passions...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743445732
• ISBN13: 9780743445733
• Release Date: March 2002
• Publisher: Atria Books
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Loving Pedro Infante: Amor sin pelos en la lengua

In love with Lucio, a married man who can't or won't love her back, Teresina "La Tere" Ávila, a thirty-something teacher's aide and secretary of the Pedro Infante Fan Club #256 in dusty Cabritoville, NM, escapes into the world of Infante. So she tells it in Denise Chavez's Loving Pedro Infante, a witty and insightful look at the difference between fantasy and reality. As she unravels her story, Tere parallels her mental ponderings about Infante to her own foolish love for Lucio. It happens that Epoca de Oro Mexican movie star Infante, who has captured many a Chicana(o)'s and Mejicana(o)'s heart, has captured hers. The same as Lucio has. She and her best friend Irma even celebrate weekend Pedro-a-thons, drowning themselves in the ever enticing embrace of those black and white moving, talking, singing images. She chastises those who don't already know Infante, wishing them to a destiny involving dry corn husks and a vat of soggy fideos. Though there's no need to panic. Tere teaches even the knowing Mejicano a thing or two by saturating her narrative with Pedro Infante trivia. Mastering the art of pochismos in conjunction with the elusive "desde", she speaks in a language comfortable even if unfamiliar. She weaves through the intricacies of her turmoiled affair with these two men with the same detail and ease as she would a description of the burnt popcorn strewn aisles of the noisy El Colon Theater during an Infante feature with her best friend Irma. Y sin pelos en la lengua, she presents the very unromantic aspects of romance, such as forgetting to shave and misplacing a diaphragm in the moldy shower stall of a seedy motel. Such is the process of outlining that which separates real and illusionary love. But this not merely an ill-fated love story, it is equally a story of family, friendship and community. Tere's mother and Irma provide constant strength and support. When Tere's good friend Ubaldo disappears and a search party gathers, it becomes clear that-- though an outcast-- her community will also be there for her. Ultimately, this book is a liberating Chicana account of personal growth, powered by an unconventional heroine. Tere ventures where others won't: creating or simply uncovering a truer face for womanhood.

Too Hard To Put Down

Another one of Denise Chavez's good books, Loving Pedro Infante intertwines romanticism with contemporary fiction. Pedro Infante, a popular Mexican actor during the forties and the fifties, is a hearthrob for Teresina Avila, her best friend Irma, and her fan club members. He is a symbol of machismo. His passion is women and women are drawn to his charms and looks. His death has made him legendary. Teresina, or Tere, is a teacher's aide involved with a self-centered married man Lucio Valadez. Lucio promises her the sun and the moon which are never delivered to her. He cheats on her as well as his wife. Irma and Ubaldo, another friend of hers, tell her that she needs to do away with him. But she clings on to hope that she will have him and they'll be a family along with Lucio's daughter Andrea. Unfortunately, a series of events will force Tere to confront the reality of her life and self. Chavez is not afraid to express the lives of Mexican women and their descendants or does she sugarcoat on homosexuality and sexual child abuse of Ubaldo Miranda. The description of a town gives the reader an idea of what it is like to be a part of a small community that clings to its old customs despite the occuring changes. This is a good read which took me a week to read. Highly recommended.

Loving Pedro Infante AND Denise Chavez

I love the writing of Denise Chavez and wonder why her books aren't as widely recognized as those of other major Chicana writers. She has a unique voice. Loving Pedro Infante is hilarious (the specifically Chicana focus)and I frequently laughed out loud as I read the book -- both times. A Pedro Infante fan myself, I thought the author's use of the plots of his movies to convey the feelings of the characters was ingenious and moving. The story also conveys a touching and frustrating desperation about "that man thing" which transcends ethnicity.

Loving Denise Chavez

I loved this book. Tere Avila was one of those girls that you wanted to slap and say "Get real, girl." I've been in Tere's shoes and know how hard it is to be in love with someone you just can't have. I got too deep into this book that I put T.V aside and even had a dream last night that I met Tere's love, Lucio. I strongly recommend this book.There are similarities in Chavez and Sandra Cisnero's writing style so if you like Woman Hollaring Creek then you are going to like this one

superb character study

In Cabritoville, New Mexico, Teresina Avila, a thirty-something divorcees, works as an elementary schoolteacher's aide. Her lover, the married father of one, Lucio Valdez promises her the world, but outside of twisting her heart he gives her nothing. Tere's only real friend is Irma Granados. Her real passion is the secretary of the local chapter of the Pedro Infante fan club, a group dedicated to the famous but deceased Mexican actor. Tere hates her current personal life, but fears loneliness if she dumps the sleazy Lucio and their motel trysts. When Lucio's six-year old daughter catches them petting, he ends their relationship even as she fills up with shame. Only dreams of Pedro, who died in the fifties, give Tere any satisfaction. However, perhaps the return of a lover from her past can help the depressed Tere find joy again, but can he compete with a legend of the silver screen? LOVING PEDRO INFANTE is a superb character study that provides the audience a close look at individuals living on the border towns between Mexico and the United States. Tere is so very human with her needs, flaws, and passions that readers will believe she is a next door neighbor. Though the plot is thin, readers will find award winning Denise Chavez's novel an insightful and entertaining glimpse at real life.Harriet Klausner